


I”ll Be The Light In The Window

by JobieJodie (TootsDingle)



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hospitals, Love, Missing Scene, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:21:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24403489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TootsDingle/pseuds/JobieJodie
Summary: Charity Can’t Go With Vanessa To Appointments Because Of Covid. So She Finds Another Way.
Relationships: Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74





	I”ll Be The Light In The Window

**Author's Note:**

> Just A Little One-Shot Based On A TikTok.
> 
> The TikTok Can Be Found On My Twitter -@TootsDingle
> 
> All Feedback, Kudos, Comments Means The Absolute World!

It couldn't have come at a worse time. Vanessa isn't even half way through her chemo. The house is already meticulously clean. Charity never stops wiping down surfaces or washing her hands yet now she has gone into overdrive. Everywhere is wiped down with antiseptic wipes, bottles of anti-bac litter every available shelf. The weekly shop now contains more cleaning products than actual food. Various bleaches and scrubs promising to kill 99.9% of bacteria are competing for space in the cupboard under the sink. But that doesn't quell the anxiety in Charity’s chest. Even the kids have a rigorous cleaning routine before going within five feet of Vanessa. Their shoes are left on the back porch. Immediately going upstairs to shower, changing their clothes after. Only then can they descend on the living room.

All visitors are banned from crossing the threshold. Rhona had taken to standing at the gate while Vanessa leanes against the doorframe. Her only contact with the outside world . Even Tracey had been moved in. Charity insisted that if she really wanted to be there for her sister she would have to take the couch. She had reluctantly brought her bags over. Dumping them with a huff at the door of the washing machine. Charity immediately put them on a boil wash. 

They're a few weeks into self-isolation now. The virus spreading in the world outside the safety of Jacobs Fold. Vanessa’s sat on the couch, a mountain of blankets wrapped around her. Charity sits at the table attempting to teach the boys the importance of health eating. The brightly coloured school resources litter the table as they glue and stick. The older two sit on their laptops in silence, their heads bobbing along to the beat in their head phones. 

“Right boys were gonna need some fruit on these plates. Now fruit is….”

Her lesson is interrupted by the soft thud of the post hitting the mat. Both boys scramble from the table racing to reach it first. Moses wins. Again. Pulling tongues at Johnny he takes it back to the table handing it to Charity as he climbs back onto the chair. She carelessly flicks through them. Bills, leaflets, a community newsletter. The only one she really notices is the stark white envelope. The NHS logo big and bold at the top. Her blood runs cold. 

“Anything important?” Vanessa cranes her neck until she can see the envelopes in her hand. 

“There’s one from the hospital babe.”

Vanessa notices the look of fear across her features. She cocks her head slightly motioning for Charity to bring the letter over. She hand’s it over squeezing herself onto the arm of the couch and running her finger through long blonde curls. Vanessa leans in to the touch. Resting her head against her shoulder. Vanessa’s eyes scan the page, she takes a deep breathe as her eyes become glassy. 

“ Babe, what is it? They're not delaying your treatment are they?” Vanessa shakes her head. Turning towards Charity. 

“No no it's nothing like that. It's just all their new policies for me to have my treatment. It says.It says you can’t come in with me anymore.”

Arms are flug around the taller blonde's shoulders as Vanessa sobs. Her body shaking against the taller frame. Charity points towards the stairs. Noah and Sarah immediately spring into action. Gently coaxing the boys to follow them. She mouths thank you before trying to soothe the smaller body. She places small kisses behind her ear, a hand rubbing the length of her back. 

“I’ll work something out. I promise you won’t have to do this alone.” 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..  
The hospital looks even greyer than usual. The car park is near empty, there’s no fruit and veg stall out front or patients smoking. Huge signs asking for people to stay alert are stuck to every wall. The entrance is closed. Vanessa can just make out the bright blue of the doctor's ppe, a shield and mask covering their features. She grabs Charity’s hand, she can feel her shake as she rubs her knuckles. 

“I don’t think I can do this.”

Charity turns in her seat facing the blonde. Hooking a finger under her chin forcing her to make eye contact. 

“Babe it’s just like before. You go in, you’ll drink the place dry and then we’ll spend all afternoon on the couch. Easy.”

Vanessa’s smile is uneasy. Nodding slightly in her direction. Charity ghosts a kiss on to her hand, untangling them as she exits the car. Just as she start’s to panic. She appears, opening the passenger door offering a hand. Vanessa takes it, wincing as she steps out. They make the short walk to the door. The tears forming in her blue eyes with every step. Charity would always come in with her. They’d walk along the corridor with her making, often cheeky, comments about the staff and other patients. Once at the oncology suit they take their seats. Charity pulling out her favorite blanket and a pile of magazines and puzzle books. Once the nurse had hooked up the chemo they would sit and do a crossword, Vanessa often shouting out wrong answers just to annoy her fiance.Endless cups of tea clocking down the hours until it was over. But today she walks in empty handed. The only tangible thing is her anxiety that sits in the pit of her stomach. 

She stops in her track, pulling her by the arm so they can face each other. She tucks a stray hair behind Charity’s ear, watching as she sinks into the touch. She stands on her tip-toes pressing a kiss to her lips. Charity smothers her into a hug whispering softly into her neck. 

“You’ve got this kid. Four hours and your mine again.”

Vanessa kisses her again,slowly walking away. Their fingers stay linked for as long as they can before Vanessa’s slip from her grasp. Charity stays in the spot until she see’s Vanessa pass the threshold of the door. She winks when Vanessa looks up, moving back towards the car. She stands in front of the doctor. A barrage of questions thrown her way. Any temperature? Coughs? She shakes her head furiously. A thermometer is placed near her forehead. The doctor nods and the doors open revealing the eerie quiet of the corridors. She walks quickly. There’s no smiles or friendly chatter, just the few odd nurses, their faces covered by masks. She touches her own lips. The flashbacks of Pierce and Mulberry Cottage invade her thoughts, making it hard to catch her breath. She makes it to the suit, a sheen of sweat across her forehead. She knocks on the door, the nurse looks concerned with the site she is greeted with. 

“Vanessa? Are you okay love?.”

Vanessa holds onto the door frame. Her breathing labours as her lungs scream for air.

“Yeah. It’s just all the change and the masks freaked me out a bit.”

The nurse takes her arm, ushering her into the sterile room. Usually every seat would be taken, but today there's just her and a woman she’s never seen before. A blue scarf tied neatly around her head. She smiles at Vanessa, resuming her reading as she passes. Vanessa is led into a window seat. The change of view from the grey door is a blessing. She takes her seat, shuffling back until her legs dangle off the enormous chair. She lowers the next line of her jumper, exposing the port on her chest. 

She still can’t bear to look at it, the forighn body a reminder of how sick she really is. The nurse cleans around it, the smell of antiseptic making her nausious. A small tube is pushed into the opening. Vanessa lets out a small hiss at the stinging sensation. Usually she would squeeze Charity’s hand until her knuckles went white. But now she just lets the tears silently fall, wiping them away with her sleeve.   
………………………………………………………………………………………………

Charity retrieves the oversized black bag from the boot of the car, checking its contents, before embarking on her plan. She walks back to the entrance and closes her eyes. She maps out the journey to the chemo suit. Her mind conjuring up images of the corridors and the endless doors. The displays on the walls coming into more focus. She walks left, pretending to open the brown door. It’s only then that she realises that the outside of the hospital is completely different to the inside. If she was to go right like usual she’d hit the wall. She tries to work it out. Twisting and turning a round the grey block. She stops when she thinks she's in the right spot. She peers inside the window, but it’s not her destination. Just an empty waiting room. She sighs and heads back to the entrance. 

She stands in front of the doors again. Trying to work out the twists and turns of the labyrinth inside. She sets off again. This time moving to the right. She walks around, looking for the familiar dark blue chair’s. She peeks into every window. An amalgamation of store rooms, clinics and offices. But none contain her fiance or her yellow jumper. She tries again. Entrance, left, left again, right, left. She stands in front of a big window, the blue chairs catching her eye. It’s only as she gets closer that she realises it's the X-ray suit. She sighs loudly, her eyes rolling up to the heavens. Her plan is thwarted by the overgrown tardis. 

She starts a slow walk back to the car, when in the corner of her eye she notices the flash of yellow. She moves slowly so not to be detected. Vanessa is wiping furiously at her eyes, she’s close enough now to see the track marks that stain her cheeks. It’s only now that Charity realises how small Vanessa really is. Her jumper is baggy around her frame, the chair swallowing her with its high back. Her legs dangle off the end, it reminds her of Johnny and Moses at the dentist, their legs too short for the foot rests. 

She leans against the wall. The window open slightly to let the spring breeze into the normally stuffy room. She watches for a while longer, before whispering into the space.

“Babe you were really brave then.” 

Her head snaps up. A smile blooming on her face at the sight of her fiance. 

“Charity! What are you doing?” 

“Where in this together remember? I might not be allowed in but no one said anything about outside.”

She rummages in the bag slung across her sholder. Throwing it on the floor once she’s found the paper. She turns to the cross word, leaning against the window sill. Vanessa places her hand against the glass. Charity mirrors the pose smiling coyly. 

“I love you Charity Dingle”

“I love you too babe. Now, four down, six letters. To awaken?”

**Author's Note:**

> Got A Prompt Drop Them In My DMs -@TootsDingle


End file.
